Container for transporting beach supplies

ABSTRACT

A container for transporting beach supplies by sliding it over sand includes a container body having a generally horizontal convex bottom wall portion, a pair of parallel side wall portions, a front wall portion, a rear wall portion, and a top wall. The bottom, side, front, and rear wall portions are integral with one another to define an opening at an upper end. The top wall is detachably connected with one of the side, front, or rear wall portions via at least one hinge for pivotal movement between a closed position and an open position. A handle is attached to one of the front, rear, side, or top wall portions, and at least one elongated roller is connected with one of the front, rear, side, or top wall portions. The container can be rolled on its elongated roller and can slide on its convex bottom wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to containers for transporting and storing beach supplies, and more specifically to a container that can be pulled on both hard and soft surfaces with ease.

Beach containers for holding and transporting supplies have been used for quite some time. Such containers come in a variety of forms, such as shoulder bags and backpacks. These traditional carriers have compartments for storing and securing beach supplies.

More recently, two types of wagon/cart-like devices have been developed that include either large or small rubber wheels for hauling all of the necessities for spending a day at the beach. These wagons and carts have been tried by many but discarded by most because the rubber wheels cannot be pulled through sand without extensive and exhaustive efforts.

Though meant to improve the hauling of materials, these devices can quickly become a nuisance. The wheels provided do not roll well through sand even when empty, and when they are filled with all of the much-needed beach supplies, the added weight greatly increases the effort required to move them. Though someone with sufficient strength and persistence will be able to get these wagons to and from the beach, the difficulty in doing so leads many to steer away from them altogether. A device is needed that will provide for storage of beach supplies that can be pulled across the sand but without the difficulty of the devices described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container for transporting beach supplies with greater ease than those currently offered. It is thus an aim to provide a beach container that can both roll and slide depending on the needed form of transport. When on a hard surface, the container can roll on its roller, and when on a soft surface such as sand, the container can be flipped over and slid on its bottom surface.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a container for transporting beach supplies includes a container body having a horizontal convex bottom wall portion, a pair of side wall portions, a front wall portion, a rear wall portion, and a top wall. The bottom, side, front, and rear wall portions are all integral with one another to define an opening at an upper end. The top wall is detachably connected with one of the side, front, or rear wall portions via at least one hinge, for pivotal movement between closed and open positions. A handle is attached to one of the front, rear, side, or top wall portions, and at least one elongated roller is connected with one of the front, rear, side, or top wall portions.

In other embodiments, the bottom wall of the container has rounded corners to provide additional slidability on soft surfaces. In yet another embodiment, the front wall and bottom wall portions connect to form an obtuse angle to provide further slidability of the device.

Further embodiments of the container include adjustable hooks for carrying beach chairs, pivotal rings for carrying an umbrella, and/or a locking assembly for locking the top wall to the side, front or rear walls. Preferably, the hooks are arranged on the top wall and can be retracted to carry one chair or can be extended outwardly from the container to carry more chairs as desired. The pivotal rings are preferably connected with one of the side walls of the container and include an opening for securing and carrying an umbrella. The locking assembly is preferably arranged on the side wall opposite the hinges but can be located at the front or rear walls as well. It will be understood by those of skill in the art that the location of these elements can be changed as desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front bottom perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4. is a rear plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are side plan views, respectively, of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of the container of the present invention having a container body 2 with a horizontal convex bottom wall portion 4, a pair of parallel vertical side wall portions 6, a vertical front wall portion 8, a vertical rear wall portion 10, and a top wall 12. The bottom, side, front, and rear wall portions are all integral with one another to define an inner compartment for storing beach supplies. The top wall is detachably connected with one side wall portion via two hinges 14 for pivotal movement between open and closed positions.

Along with the hinges, a locking assembly 16 is provided for locking the top wall when it is in its horizontal closed position. The locking assembly of the present embodiment is connected with the top wall 12 and side wall 6 that is opposite the side wall with the hinges 12. It will be understood by those of skill in the art that the locking assembly could also be arranged at the front or rear walls. A handle 18 is attached to the top wall at a forward edge where the top wall meets the front wall. Located at a forward portion of the top wall are a pair of equally spaced apart hooks 20 for carrying a beach chair or other beach supplies. The hooks are shown in their retracted state but are capable of extending vertically outwardly from the top wall to carry additional chairs or supplies. An elongated roller 22 for rolling the container on hard surfaces is located at the rearward end of the container top wall.

The walls of the container are made of a plastic or other similar durable material to provide rigidity that will withstand wear-and-tear, and also to provide a container that is light and easily transported. As will be developed below, the bottom wall of the container may be formed of materials that are different form the other walls to allow for better sliding across sand or other soft terrain.

Preferably, the container body 2 is large enough to fit most standard beach chairs within its inner compartment, but not so large that it is challenging to maneuver or pull to and from the beach. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the size of the container body and inner compartment can be configured to fit different needs. Also, the container can include a single compartment or multiple compartments for storing any number of beach materials, for instance, toys, towels, books, speakers, sandals, or food, to name a few. The container may also be insulated to store a variety of items such as perishables or cold drinks.

When the container is on a hard surface, it can be rolled via the elongated roller 22, for example, from a car to a sandy area and back. The roller has a generally cylindrical configuration and a longitudinal axis A₁ extending parallel to the top wall rearward edge. The width and configuration of the roller provides added stability when used on a hard surface. Often times, the surfaces on which the roller is used are hard but not smooth, for instance as with gravel, hard sand, or asphalt. The stability provided by the elongated roller allows easier rolling on such surface. The roller can also be used on smooth or soft surfaces if desired.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the handle 18 extends from the forward edge of the top wall 12 which provides assistance in rolling or sliding the device. The handle is made of a rigid material, such as plastic, and has a pair of telescoping arms 24 which can retract when not in use. The handle includes a pivot assembly 26 for pivotal movement about a horizontal pivot axis that is parallel to the upper wall forward edge. The pivot assembly allows the handle to pivot at different angles relative to the container depending on whether the container body is being pulled on its bottom wall or its roller. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, although the handle shown in FIGS. 1-8 is rigid and includes a telescoping arms and pivot assembly, other types of handles can be used, for instance a rope or a handle with fixed arms.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, there is shown the bottom wall of the container which is generally convex. the convex configuration provides improved sliding of the container on its bottom wall when traversing sand or another soft surface for which the roller cannot be used. The bottom wall is preferably formed of a rigid, slick material such as fiber glass, carbon fiber, epoxy or plastic. Such materials, in combination with the convex configuration, provide for a beach container that easily slides across sand and other surfaces with minimal effort.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 there are shown two rings 28 pivotally connected with one of the side walls of the container. The rings can be used to secure an umbrella or other elongated object, such as a shovel or recreational apparatus. The rings are sufficiently spaced to secure the two ends of the umbrella or other device.

In another embodiment, the front wall 8 and bottom wall 4 are arranged at a generally obtuse angle, wherein the front wall is no longer vertical but rather is positioned at an angle greater than ninety-degrees relative to the bottom wall. In this embodiment, the upper edge of the front wall extends horizontally outwardly farther than the lower edge of the front wall. The forward edge of the upper wall also extends horizontally outwardly farther than in previous embodiments so that it can align with the upper edge of the front wall.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised and employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A container for transporting beach supplies comprising: (a) a container body including: (1) a horizontal convex bottom wall portion; (2) a pair of side wall portions connected with said bottom wall; (3) a front wall portion connected with said side wall portions; (4) a rear wall portion connected with said side wall portions opposite said front wall portion, wherein said side, front and rear wall portions are integral with said bottom wall to define a chamber that is open at its upper end; and (5) a top wall including at least one hinge detachably connected with at least one of said side, front and rear wall portions, wherein said top wall portion is pivotal between a closed position and an open position; (b) a handle attached to one of said front, rear, side, or top wall portions; and (c) at least one elongated roller connected with one of said front, rear, side, and top wall portions.
 2. A container as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one elongated roller has a generally cylindrical configuration and a longitudinal axis extending parallel to the wall with which it is connected about which said elongated roller rotates.
 3. A container as defined in claim 1, and further comprising a hook mounted on said top wall having a telescoping shaft that extends vertically outwardly from said top wall when said top wall is in said closed position.
 4. A container as defined in claim 3, wherein at least one of said side wall portion, front wall portion, rear wall portion and top wall includes at least one pivotally connected ring therewith.
 5. A container as defined in claim 1, wherein said front and bottom wall portions are arranged at a generally obtuse angle.
 6. A container as defined in claim 1, wherein said bottom wall portion includes rounded forward and rearward edges.
 7. A container as defined in claim 1, and further comprising a locking assembly mounted on said top wall portion and one of said side, front and rear wall portions.
 8. A container as defined in claim 1, wherein said bottom wall is formed of a rigid material including at least one of fiberglass, carbon fiber, epoxy, and plastic. 